Taapwaywin: Talking about what we know and what we believe

Textbook Colonization: Land, Education, Stories

In this episode, we’re digging into the stories we’ve been told about the about the history of the lands now known as Canada. We’re reflecting on the role education has played in disseminating colonial myths, and the hard work underway to get to the truth of our collective history.     This time on Taapwaywin, Ry Moran talks to Pia Russell and Chaa’winisaks about how school textbooks were central in promoting and spreading colonial ideas, and with Paulette Steeves about her work reclaiming two hundred thousand years of Indigenous history.     Paulette Steeves: https://paulettesteeves22.wixsite.com/drpaulettesteeves    The Indigenous Paleolithic of the Western Hemisphere book:   https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9781496202178/    Learn more about the BC Historical Textbooks Project here:  https://www.uvic.ca/library/research-teaching/collections/about/curriculum-textbooks.php    UVic’s Indigenous Cultural Acumen Training:  https://www.uvic.ca/services/indigenous/facultystaff/icat/index.php    Information on the return of ȽEL¸TOS James Island: https://www.dgwlaw.ca/tsawout-first-nation-making-headlines-files-claim-for-return-of-james-island/  

Burden of Proof

A fundamental gap remains between how many Canadians see this country and the realities of living under a colonial settler state. Public commitments made by our governments to truth and reconciliation often do not match their actions behind closed doors.From courtrooms to truth commissions, this episode is about the ways the Canadian settler state continues to suppress the legal systems, governance structures, and lived experiences of Indigenous peoples - and the difficulties seeking justice and truth within colonial legal systems. But we’re also looking at the profoundly important work of those fighting to make the truths of Indigenous people known.In this episode Ry Moran speaks with David Paterson about the barriers in getting truths recognized in the Canadian courts, and with Marion Buller about the difficult work of truth-telling in this country through the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry.David Paterson: https://www.whiteravenlaw.ca/david-paterson Marion Buller: https://www.uvic.ca/socialsciences/careers/departments/anthropology/profiles/buller-marion.php Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Reports: https://nctr.ca/records/reports/ National Inquiry for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Reports: https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/ Delgamuukw Supreme Court Judgement: https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/1569/index.do

Shifting Baselines

Around the world, we are witnessing massive amounts of irreversible ecological destruction brought about by the intersecting impacts of colonization, capitalism, and human induced climate change.  From the recent loss of billions of sea stars to the way environmental destruction infringes on protected Indigenous rights, in this episode we’re looking at the immense damage that has been inflicted on culture, language, and the environment – and the work being done to find pathways forward.  Ry Moran speaks with Alyssa Gehman, Mavis Underwood, Sean Holman, and Carey Newman about way that the climate crisis challenges us to fulfill our responsibilities to establish and maintain mutually respectful relations with each other, the land, and all living things.  Alyssa Gehman: https://gehmana.weebly.com/ Mavis Underwood: https://www.uvic.ca/socialsciences/anthropology/people/graduate-students/profiles/underwoodmavis.php Sean Holman: https://www.uvic.ca/finearts/writing/people/faculty/profiles/holman-sean.php Carey Newman: https://twitter.com/blueravenart Sean Holman’s Climate Disaster Project: https://climatedisasterproject.com/ Sunflower Sea Star’s IUCN Red List Assement: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/178290276/197818455 You can report sightings of sunflower sea stars to https://www.inaturalist.org/ or https://marine.ucsc.edu/data-products/sea-star-wasting/index.html 

The Power of Names

What’s the name of the city, or town, or country that you’re in right now? Do you know where that name comes from? Do you know how long it’s been known by that name, or if it’s had any other names? Today we’re looking at names across this country – the names of places, people, and individuals – and what truths about our history they reveal or obscure. This episode Ry Moran talks with Daryl Kootenay, Heather Igloliorte, Lawrence Hill, and Robina Thomas about the deep connections between history, land, and identity. Visit www.taapwaywin.ca for transcripts and more information. Daryl Kootenay: https://www.banffcanmorecf.org/moving-mountains-co-lead-daryl-kootenay/ Heather Igloliorte: https://www.heatherigloliorte.ca/ Lawrence Hill: https://www.lawrencehill.com/ Robina Thomas: https://www.uvic.ca/hsd/socialwork/faculty/home/faculty/Members/thomas-robina.php Barry Pottle’s Awareness Series (E-tag photographs): https://barrypottle.com/portfolio/awareness-series/ Lawrence’s Beatrice and Croc Harry: https://www.lawrencehill.com/beatrice-and-croc-harry 

Preservation, Destruction, Transformation

Around the world, communities are grappling with the traces of systemic violence and human rights violations that exist in the landscape around us.  How do we remember injustices when the physical signs of that history are no longer visible? What do we do with the buildings and structures that still stand? And how are the memories embedded within these sites both painful scars and opportunities for healing?  In this episode Ry Moran talks with Carey Newman, Oliver Schmidtke, and Tavia Panton about sites with difficult histories in Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom and what to do with them. Visit www.taapwaywin.ca for transcripts and more information. Carey Newman: @blueravenart https://www.uvic.ca/finearts/ahvs/people/faculty/profiles/cnewman.php Oliver Schmidtke: https://www.uvic.ca/socialsciences/politicalscience/people/directory/schmidtkeoliver.php Tavia Panton’s current project with Museums of Liverpool: https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/waterfront-transformation-project The Witness Blanket: https://witnessblanket.ca/ Bluecoat’s Colonial Legacies Project: https://www.thebluecoat.org.uk/coloniallegacies [This episode contains discussions of Canada’s Residential School system, please take care. Resources for support are available on our website, should you need them.]